Residents jump from windows to escape apartment fire in north Houston

Fire crews say there were reported victims trapped and people began jumping out the window.

March 17, 2014 10:34:53 AM PDT

HOUSTON --

Authorities say a fire in north Houston was so intense it forced people to jump out windows.

The apartment building on the Beltway near Vickery went up in flames around 12:30am.

Residents woke up to smoke and flames. The fire department says there was only one way out.

"(There were) reported victims trapped and people jumping out the window. We had multiple calls. Everyone had exited the building by the time the fire department arrived," said Michael Gerica with the Houston Fire Department.

No one was hurt. The fire gutted one unit and several others have minor smoke damage. The fire department asked CenterPoint to shut off the power to the entire building so several residents spent the night somewhere else.